Telegraph system.



i. M. RAINEY.

TELEGRAPH SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR..22. 1915'.

, 5? Patmfied NW. 6, 191?.

M veniwt' Paul M fiamey UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIcE.

PAUL M. RAINEY, 0F GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OFNEW YORK.

TELEGRAPH SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 191 '7.

Application filed April 22, 1915. Serial No. 23,049.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I,- PAUL M. RAINEY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Glen Ridge, in the county ofEssex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Telegraph Systoms, of which the following is a full,clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to telegraph systems, and its principal object isto provide a simple arrangement for the relaying or retransmission ofcurrent impulses.

In operating telegraph systems on the well-known Baudot multiplexprinciple, it has been recognized for some time that it is possible tosend messages from one station to another through an intermediatestation without the necessity for any manual manipulation at theintermediate point, and without interfering with other messages betweenthe intermediate station and either terminal station over the sametransmission lines. This method of operation, often aptly designated asforking or extending, is clearly described in H. \V. Pendrys The BauclotPrinting Telegraph System, and the principal object of this invention isto improve the system and apparatus therein disclosed. This inventionmay, however, be advantageously employed, where desired, in simplyrelaying the impulses from one section of line to another, and while itis particularly adapted for use in multiplex operation, it is clearlynot limited to this field.

For the accomplishment of the above ends, the invention contemplates asystem of relays and connections interposed between sections or branchesof a transmission line, whereby each current impulse received may actupon a particular unit of the system, which unit controls the characterof the corresponding impulse in the next section or branch, besidesbringing about a circuit condition which maintains the units in theiraltered condition until a train of impulses representing a cycle ofoperations is completed.

The above and other objects of this invention will be fully set forth inthe following description and claims and will be more readily understoodby reference to the accompanying drawing wherein the preferredembodiment is shown diagrammatically.

A transmission line section 5 interconnects one distant'station with anintermediate or retransmitting station A, while another section 6interconnects the intermediate station with another distant station. Theapparatus at the two distant stations is not shown since it may be ofany desired type.

At the intermediate station A, the current impulses in section 5traverse a relay 10 whose armature is connected to a grounded source ofenergy 11. The active front contact of relay 10 is joined to therotating arm 12 of a suitable receiving current distributer 13. Thisdistributer may be composed of any number of groups of contacts. eachgroup comprising a plurality of insulated segments such as 15, 16, 17,18 and 19, in the drawing four such groups being shown. Only the groupassociated with the retransmission of signals,,however, is shownconnected, the other groups being preferably associated with printingapparatus to convert the proper impulses in section 5 into printedcharacters.

Segments 15 to 19 inclusive are each connected to one of the terminalsof the windings of a group of relays 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 respectively,the other terminals of which are connected to a back contact of a.clearout relay 31. Each relay 25 to 29 inclusive is provided with twoarmatures 32 and 33. Armatures 32 cooperate with back and frontcontacts, respectively connected to the positive and negative poles of adivided and grounded source of energy 34 and are connected tocorresponding insulated segments 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 of a transmittingcurrent distributer 40. Armatures 33 of relays 25 to 29 cooperate withfront. contacts associated with the windings of the respective relaysand are all connected to a grounded source of energy 41. It is thusapparent. that whenany of the relays 25 to 29 inclusive are energizedtheir armatures 33 complete holding circuits therefor through thearmature of the clear-out relay 31.

Distributer 40 is provided with a rotating arm 15 adapted tosuccessively-connect segments 35 to 39 inclusive to line section 6.There may be other groups of segments similar to segments 35 to 39 (inthe drawing three other such groups being shown), which may be used forintercommunication between station A and the distant station on section6.

the arm 12 rotates in the proper phase re-,

lation to a corresponding distributer, preferably of a similarconstruction, located at a sending station on line 5, and arm 45 rotatesin the pro er phase relation to a corresponding, and preferably similardistributer, at a receiving station on line 6.

Arms 12 and 45 need not pass over corresponding segments incorresponding groups simultaneously, it merely being necessary that theselected relays 25 to 29 have sufiicient time to operate before thebrush on arm 45 leaves the respectively corresponding segments 35 to 39.Preferably arm 12 may lead arm 45 slightly, as shown in the drawing.

Assumlng' that relay 10 is polarized so that its armature engages theactive contact only when the positive impulses arrive over section 5,the operation of the system is as follows:

If the first impulse of a particular cornbination is of positivepolarity, relay 10 causes its armature to complete a circuit from source11, arm 12, segment 15, relay 25 and back contact and armature of relay31 to ground. Relay 25 thereupon becomes energized, attracting itsarmatures 32 and '33 against their respective front contacts. Armature32 connects the positive pole of the grounded source 34 to segment 35and when arm 45 of distributer 40 reaches this segment the pole isjoined to section 6. Armature 33 completes a holding circuit includinggrounded source 41, relay 25, and the back contact and armature of relay31. Relay 25 is therefore locked in a condition to connect the positivepole of' source 34 with segment 35.

Assuming the second impulse in section 5 to be negative, relay 10 breaksthe circuit includin -its armature and active contact and whi e arms 12and 45 are respectively associated with segments 16 and 36, relay 26remains unenergized and the negative pole of source 34 is connectedthrough back contact and armature 32 of relay 26, segment 36 and arm 45tosection 6. This action continues throughout the cycle of operationsconsisting of five impulses, whenever an impulse in section 5 ispositive, the positive pole of source 34 being connected by thecorresponding relay 25 to 29 inclusive with the out relay 31. Glear-outrelay 31, thereupon pulling up its" armature, opens the holding circuitsfor the relays'25 to 29 which have been previously energized and therelaying apparatus is again in a condition to retransmit another set ofimpulses.

It is therefore readily apparent that the current impulses in section 5associated with the group of segments connected to relay 25 to 29 incusive are relayed or retransmitted to section 6. The impulses thereforeassociated with this group of segments may be relayed on through theintermediate station A to a distant station on section 6 without thenecessity of any supervisory or manual operation at the intermediatestation. On the other hand, the apparatus associated with the otherthree groups of segments of distributers 13 and 40 may be utilized forintercommunication between instruments associated with these groups andcotiperating apparatusassociated with corresponding groups of likedistributers at the distant station on sections 5 and 6 without in anyway interfering with the through transmission between such distantstations. If desired, relays 25 to 29 may be caused to control anydesired form of local selecting apparatus as a printer or perforator.

While the distributors 13 and 40 have been referred to in the abovedescription as receiving and transmittin distributers, respectively, itis to be un erstood that this term relates merely to the function ofthose groups of segments of these pieces of apparatus while working inconnection with the relaying of message impulses between the sections ofthe through transmission line. Each distributer sofar as segments in theother quadrants are concerned, may act as 1 either a transmitting orreceiving distributer, and when the system is properly du-' plexed, mayoperate as a sending and transmitting distributer, simultaneously.

What is claimed is:

1. A telegraph system comprising a line divided into sections; and arelaying apparatus interposed between adjacent sections thereofincluding a plurality of relays variably selectable by impulses receivedfrom one 129 of the sections, a source of energy for forming impulsesfor the next section, circuit connections therefor controlled by saidrelays, and holding circuits for said relays closed thereby in responseto the impulses received. 180

2. A telegraph system for relaying signal current impulses comprising atelegraph line divided into sections; and a relaying apparatusinterposed between adjacent sections including a current distributerassociated with one section, a plurality of relays cooperating therewithto be selectively acted upon y a plurality of current impulses, holdingcircuits for said relays, a source of relaying current, a currentdistributer interposed between said source and another section of saidline, and circuit connections whereby said relays control thecooperation of said source and said second mentioned distributer andcomplete the holding circuits for themselves in accordance with thecurrent impulses in the first mentioned section.

3. A retransmitting apparatus comprising a receiving currentdistributer, a plurality of relays adapted to be selectively actuated bycurrent impulses associated therewith, a transmitting currentdistributer, a source of currentadapted to cooperate with saidtransmitting distributer the cooperation being controlled by saidrelays, holding circuits for and controlled-by said relays, and meansfor discontinuing the action of said circuits.

In Witness-whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 21st day of AprilA. D., 1915.

PAUL M. RAIN EY.

